America’s first Catholic TV star moved one step closer to sainthood this afternoon in the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, MO as 1000 clergy joined 50,000 lay faithful for the Mass of Beatification of Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Peter Fulton John Sheen, now known to the universal church as Blessed Fulton Sheen. We pray for the furthering of Fulton Sheen’s cause, along with Blessed Solanus Casey.

CATECHETICAL SUNDAY 2026:  At the 9am Mass last Sunday we blessed satechists in our representing. Those in the picture below are among 52 paid and volunteer catechists who serve as teachers from Queens Elementary School, Sunday Faith Formation, Children’s Liturgy of the Word and Special Religious Education on Monday evenings.   

No one can replace the vital role parents play in raising children in the faith.  Our parish wants to partner with parents and families in whatever way we can to help children know God and love His Word and the Church where it is preached and practiced.  ‘Thank you’ to all of these catechists who give of their time and talent to carry out this important work of raising up saints and scholars for the glory of God and the good of souls.     

The annual clergy convocation is coming up starting Monday September 28th in Frankenmuth. There will be NO 6:45am Mass at QMM on Tuesday September 29th. Those wishing to celebrate the feast of the Archangels that day can attend an 8:30am Mass at Our Lady of Fatima or a 5:30pm evening Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, 705 N. Waterloo. These will be celebrated by the Servants of Charity from the St. Louis Center in Chelsea who are covering while the priests are away. I will be back for Mass on Wednesday evening.

St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day is October 4^th.  As that date falls on a Sunday, we will have our annual Blessing of Pets at 10am on Saturday October 3^rd.  Feel free to bring your pet to the Memorial Garden on the northwest corner of the church grounds and we will have a brief ceremony, rain or shine!

Join us and people from 80 other Jackson Churches to form the Life Chain. It is a silent hour of prayer, not a protest. It is a witness, not a demonstration. Queens covers the north side of West Michigan Ave. from Bowen up to West Ave. We are the only Church that covers more than one block, so we need to spread out to make it all the way from one side to the other.

All of you are welcome to join us in Blackman Park downtown at 2:00pm on Sunday October 11th for this annual event that includes the patriotic rosary where we pray for each state by name, a sung chaplet of Divine Mercy, a Eucharistic procession and benediction.  Outdoor seating is limited so please bring a lawn chair if needed.  Both this and the Life Chain allow us a chance to profess our faith and beliefs publicly beyond the walls of the church, a witness that is badly needed in today’s society. 

HALLOW ‘HOW TO’: 

How do I join our parish on Hallow?

Everyone is invited to be a part of our Queens community page. There, you can create a profile, add friends, share and respond to prayer intentions, and take part in prayer challenges with the parish. The steps are simple:

New to Hallow:

• Download the Hallow app from the app store on your smart device.
• Rather than following the prompts to create your account, begin at the church icon in the top right corner.
• Search for our parish use zip code and then Join.
• Continue creating your account by following the prompts.

Already have a Hallow account:

• Open the Hallow app.
• Tap the Church tab at the bottom of the screen.
• Follow the prompts to complete your profile.
• Tap Explore and find our parish (enter parish ZIP code if needed).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The family is the domestic church and the foundation of society. It is where future generations are born, educated, and formed, and where vocations to the priesthood and religious life most often take root. So, how can we help our families grow in holiness and happiness?

Beginning this September, I invite you to join me in a Year of the Family.

This new weekly catechetical series, introduced by me, will feature short films showcasing families from across the Diocese of Lansing. Each family will share how they are striving to live the Catholic faith more fully in their daily lives. Throughout the year, the series will explore family prayer, education, liturgical living, hospitality, discipline, and works of charity.

My sincere prayer is that the Year of the Family will encourage and inspire our families to live in ever greater harmony with God and with one another.

To sign up, simply text YOTF to 84576 or subscribe by email.

I am, sincerely yours in Christ,

+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing

Epic: The Early Church explores how the Church that Jesus established and which we read about in the Acts of the Apostles took shape in the early centuries of Christianity. This Bible study meets Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm in Vincentian Hall thru November 17. If you attended last year’s Bible Timeline, you won’t want to miss this!

My dad wants to come play another piano concert here, and I like you must obey the 4th Commandment and honor my father. Larry MacDonald will be offering a free piano concert in the Church on the afternoon of Sunday November 1st, All Saints Day, at a time to be determined, as we dicker and deal with my sister Katie who will be driving him!

Afterwards, during a reception hosted by the Guild in Vincentian Hall, there will be a book signing of his 4th book, Oscar Snubs. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, or you can use the Amazon link below.

As I’ve mentioned before, my father’s two great passions are music and movies, and he loves to research and write about music and film. In this book, he looks at the movies that he feels should have won at the Oscars but didn’t, and in his concert he will feature music from those same films and take your requests. This will be his third concert here and it is always a great event for all involved.

Laurence MacDonald’s other published works include The Invisible Art of Film Music (1998), The 100 Greatest Film Scores (2018) and Best Picture: A Critical Look at the Academy Award Winning Films 1927 – 2022 (2024).

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching” (Heb 13:8-9).

Fr. Tim MacDonald

Pastor